The U.S. Department of Education has reinstated the 2020 policy, altering guidelines
On Sep. 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education formally rescinded the Biden Administration’s 2024 Title IX regulations, officially reinstating the 2020 policy guidelines. This alteration removes federal protections for LGBTQ+ students and alters how educational institutions investigate allegations of sexual misconduct.
This ruling applies more specifically to Title IX’s primary purpose of dictating how universities investigate and respond to reports of sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, sexual harassment, and sex-based discrimination.
Previous federal court rulings had already blocked or vacated the Biden-era expansions nationwide in early 2025. Due to Michigan Tech being an applicable university to the lawsuit State of Kansas v. U.S. Department of Education’s injunctions, Michigan Tech has remained under the 2020 Title IX rulings.
The recent Title IX updates have resulted in the dismissal of the Kansas lawsuit, which has since been replaced by a nationwide ruling. This decision aligns Title IX policies across the rest of the country with those already in place at thousands of universities, including Michigan Tech. As a result, these Title IX updates equate to very few changes for Michigan Tech attendees.
Under the current guidelines of Title IX at Michigan Tech, live cross-examinations are mandatory for disciplinary hearings, which require panels to find an accused student responsible if the allegation is more than 50 percent likely to be true. The outcomes of said hearings determine punishments administered at a university level, as opposed to criminal charges.
New, stricter definitions for sexual harassment have been implemented, requiring grievances to be legally severe, as well as patterned rather than a single event, before a formal investigation is launched. Within these alterations, universities are still legally required to provide free accommodations such as counseling, academic adjustments, housing modifications, and no-contact orders to both the accuser and accused regardless of the origin or danger associated with the complaint.
The guidelines associated with institutional equity have been further restricted, meaning that the Title IX ruling that ensured fair athletic financial aid, facilities, equipment, coaching, and participation opportunities is now more strictly prohibited from being compromised in terms of biological sex.
There are no longer any explicit federal regulations and protections based on gender identity or sexual orientation under Title IX, and the Department of Education protects separate intimate facilities based on biological sex.
These alterations, while minimal in the current moment for Michigan Tech, have been addressed with reassurance from our Title IX coordinators. In an official statement, a university spokesperson explained, “Like many areas of federal policy, Title IX regulations are subject to varying interpretations and evolving legal guidance. As a public university, Michigan Tech’s role is to understand and comply with the regulations as they apply to our institution. Regardless of the regulatory status, our priority remains the same: to provide a safe, supportive educational environment for our student body while ensuring that our policies and procedures are fair, consistent, and compliant with applicable law.”
